


All the Joy That is Mine Today

by lizook12



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 20:25:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1198584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizook12/pseuds/lizook12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m getting wine; I think we both deserve it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Joy That is Mine Today

**Author's Note:**

> The second treatment of this fun ask from **nikkicienna** ; thanks for the backhanded prompt, hun! 
> 
> Title taken from John Denver's _Today_

Rubbing her neck, she leans against the wall as he opens the door to their condo.

Their last conference call ran later than either of them expected and now, after grabbing dinner at the first place they could agree on, they’re both way past done with the day.

Following him across the threshold, she pries the keys out of the lock, tossing them on the table as she kicks off her shoes.

“Sorry, I didn’t come up with personal appointment as an excuse sooner.”     

Laughing softly, he rolls his sleeves up. “It’s better than anything I would have thought of; I was about two minutes away from saying I had archery practice to attend to.”

“Good thing I avoided that crisis.”      

“Yes, but really, did it have to be the dentist? Holman must think I’m five if I need my girlfriend to—”      

“You’re closer to eight, but...” She grins, her shoulders lifting as she lets her hair down and starts to pad across the room. “I’m getting wine; I think we both deserve it.”      

“No argument here, but...”

His brow furrows, mouth turns down in a way that makes her heart race in the worst way. It’s the expression she sees most when he’s under the hood and, while it focuses him there, here it seems to telegraph worry.

“But....”      

She’s long since learned to let him fill these moments, to reach out and take his hand or be the shoulder he can lean on, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

Not when you’re dealing with the man you love.

“But it’s _my_ turn to pick.”

Her breath leaves in a relieved whoosh and she sags against the back of the couch for a moment before mounting her defense.

“Oh no, that terrible Bacco Noir was the last thing we shared and there’s no way I picked it.”      

“Hey, I thought it was nice. Very smooth and—”

“Of course you did, _you_ picked it.” She crosses her arms over her chest, tips her head towards him. “I would not choose something that has ‘notes of leather and tobacco’. You might as well have made me drink a baseball glove.”      

“And you would know how a baseball glove tastes how?”

“Not important. All that matters is that you—”     

“Ohhhh.” His teeth press into his bottom lip as he glances toward the TV. “I did choose; we were watching _Lord of the Rings_ and I said if they were eating four and five meals a day then it was fine to drink a second bottle during the movie.”  

“Yes, see!” She turns and continues on to the wine closet, knowing he’ll grab glasses and the opener while she picks.

When she gets there she’s surprised to find a whole row of her favorite Malbec, the red label bright against the dark bottles.

It throws her for a good ten minutes.

She knows there’d been only one empty spot in the whole closet after the weekend and if he swapped some out she’s not sure why he didn’t go for a little variety, something to—

“Would you just pick one already?”

There’s a slight waver in his voice that she can’t quite pinpoint, but she shoves it aside, grabs the third bottle in, and makes her way to the couch.

He’s balanced on the edge of the cushions, tie loose, head tilted towards her. Two glasses are, in fact, on the coffee table, the corkscrew tossed hastily between them.

“This one looks good.” 

“It looks the same as the other five bottles of it in the closet.”      

“Yeah, how’d that happen?” Her nail pries at the foil on the neck of the bottle and the subtle bouncing of his knee stills.    

In fact, his whole body stills.

Leg, fingers, even his breathing has seemed to stop.

When she looks back at the bottle, foil now crumpled in her hand, she knows why.

Nestled against the cork is the most stunning, sparkling solitaire ring she’s ever seen.

“Wha... how....” Body practically vibrating, she tips it into her hand, the round cut diamond winking up at her. “I mean... true, you know me better than anyone else, but it’s a one in six chance that I would pick the right bottle. Was the whole ‘claiming it was your turn to choose’ thing a way to distract me so you could get things in place? No, you weren’t even near the closet tonight. What if I picked the—” 

“It’s nothing too crazy.” His fingers flex on his knee as he gazes up at her. “I just noticed you have a slight pattern when you choose and... Really, you’re killing me, Felicity, are you going to answer sometime tonight?”

“Maybe if you _ask_ sometime tonight.”  

His eyes narrow slightly and then he grins, tugging her down next to him. “Felicity...” Inhaling slowly, he traces her jaw with his thumb, grins at the surprise and happiness dancing in her eyes. “There’s no way I can ever explain how much you do for me, how much you mean to me, but...” His fingers flex on her skin as he brushes his lips across hers. “You’re already my partner in everything... in every way... and I hope you’ll be willing to put up with me for the rest of our lives.”

“Yes!” It’s somewhere between a laugh and a sob and she presses herself to him, repeating it loudly in the midst of kisses and excitedly trying to slip the ring on.

As it slides over her knuckle, he blindly reaches for the corkscrew, his mouth pressed to her throat, the damn wine bottle almost ending up on the floor in the process.

“It’s ok....” His teeth tug at her earlobe. “There are five other bottles of it.”

“Yeah, but none are as special as this one.” Grabbing the opener from his hand, she quickly opens the bottle, her free arm lifting in a fist pump as she pulls the cork free.

Nodding, he holds out each of their glasses for her to fill, tension draining as she sets the bottle on the table and they somehow take a drink in perfect unison.

It seems the most fitting way to start this part of their lives and he grins, carefully pulling her onto his lap as his free hand settles in the curve of her waist. “Well, it had someone spectacular to measure up to.”

“Mmm, not just one; you’re pretty amazing yourself.”

She takes another sip of wine, closes her eyes and relaxes against him, ring glittering on her hand as he laces their fingers together and brushes kisses over her skin.


End file.
